Synopsis
Created by the United States Information Agency in 1961, this Cold War propaganda film "Barbed Wire World" is hosted by Dwight Weist. It examines the start of the construction of the Berlin Wall, and was part of a special effort by the USIA to focus the West's attention on the new barrier. The film was also accompanied by a photographic exhibition when originally released. "Barbed Wire World" begins with two famous scenes, one of a West German woman crying while looking at her relative across the barbed wire in East Berlin, and East German Border Guard Hans Konrad Schumann escaping to West Berlin by jumping across the wire. Dwight Weist gives a short historical introduction to Berlin’s status as a divided city. This is followed by contrasting shots of happy people in West Berlin and unhappy East Germans that are fleeing in the thousands. It ends with a speech by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson reassuring the USA's commitment to the people of West Berlin. 0:08 women crying and looking at each other across the barbed wire fence dividing East and West Berlin, 0:39 East German Guard Hans Konrad Schumann jumping over the barbed wire to escape, 0:51 host Dwight Weist looks at both images and speaks to the camera, 1:30 “Focus: Berlin – Barbed Wire World”, 1:48 Host Dwight Weist, 1:55 Weist speaks to the camera, 2:24 celebrations for the end of the second world war in different cities, 3:02 animated map showing the division of Germany and Berlin into four zones, 3:47 Weist standing…
Uploader's description on archive.org
Details
- Running time
- 12 minutes
- Collection
- Ephemeral Films
Subjects on the Internet Archive
- Barbed Wire World
- Berlin Wall
- 1961
- Information Agency
